I believe the greatest barrier/challenge that faces a new LNC is the ability to manage anxiety in new situations, meetings, presentations or interviews with attorneys.
These are the same problems faced by attorneys in preparing a closing argument.
When I began meeting new attorneys, I know that I did not project self-confidence. I will always be grateful for the ones who hired me despite this shortcoming. I was not convinced of my worth or that I could provide what they needed. I knew the lingo and had read the bullet list of 30 benefits of hiring a legal nurse, but I had not yet delivered those benefits.
I grappled for words that would communicate my competence in case analysis, but I was relying upon the success of others to give me courage.
Amy Cuddy is a social psychologist with a fascinating story (find her on TED talks and read her book, “Presence”). She combines multiple philosophies and her own experience to describe that hard-to-capture essence of convincing others that you are worthy.
Convincing others of your worth begins with conviction that you have the qualities you wish to impart. When you truly believe in what you do and who you are, others will also believe. I know after ten years and many hundreds of cases from all sides of the law that I am who I say I am.
True authenticity is not memorized or rehearsed; it comes from the heart.
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